WIN Wyoming

Thought Bullets
for
February 2000

Thought bullets for this month are based on a news article written by Debbie Popp, Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program Coordinator, University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service. Debbie reviewed dietary guidelines from countries around the world that she located on a University of Georgia, Department of Foods and Nutrition Web site*.

• Eating is more than nutrition. Many other countries in the world recognize the importance of food from an emotional and psychological perspective. Dietary recommendations from many countries remind their citizens to enjoy food and make mealtimes a pleasant experience.

• A dietary recommendation from Japan states "happy eating makes for happy life; sit down and eat together and talk; treasure family taste and home cooking."

• The number one dietary guideline from Great Britain says simply, "enjoy your food."

• Dietary guidelines from Korea encourage people to enjoy meals and "keep harmony between diet and daily life."

• The message from Vietnam encourages citizens to serve healthy, delicious family meals "served with affection."

• The Norwegian message states "FOOD + JOY = HEALTH."

• Messages from around the world encourage people to enjoy food. These messages may be of even greater importance in the United States where many people associate eating with feelings of guilt, despair, and anxiousness. One of the WIN Wyoming principles states "take pleasure in eating." Another principle states "honor the gift of food." During mealtime, it is time to shut off the television, turn off the car engine, put down the paper, and enjoy the great pleasures associated with eating. Once a person develops a real "presence" when eating, the end result is usually consumption of less food because once a feeling of satisfaction is reached, the person naturally stops eating. In comparison, rushed and hurried eating often result in overeating.

*<http://www.fcs.uga.edu/~selbon/apple/guides/choose.html>

Compiled by Betty Holmes, MS, RD, 4-H Youth Specialist, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Wyoming; bholmes@uwyo.edu.

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